molecule(6)

NAME
molecule - draws 3D molecular structures

SYNOPSIS
molecule [--display host:display.screen] [--window] [--root] [--window-id number] [--visual visual] [--delay microseconds] [--wander] [--no-wander] [--spin axes] [--no-spin] [--timeout seconds] [--labels] [--no-labels] [--titles] [--no-titles] [--atoms] [--no-atoms] [--bonds] [--no-bonds] [--shells] [--no-shells] [--molecule file-or-directory] [--verbose] [--wireframe] [--fps]

DESCRIPTION
The molecule program draws several different representations of molecules. Some common molecules are built in, and it can read PDB (Protein Data Base) files as input.

OPTIONS
molecule accepts the following options:

--window
    Draw on a newly-created window. This is the default.

--root
    Draw on the root window.

--window-id number
    Draw on the specified window.

--install
    Install a private colormap for the window.

--visual visual
    Specify which visual to use. Legal values are the name of a visual class, or the id number (decimal or hex) of a specific visual.

--fps
    Display the current frame rate, CPU load, and polygon count.

--verbose
    Print debugging info on stderr about files being loaded, etc.

--wander
    Move the molecules around the screen.

--no-wander
    Keep the molecule centered on the screen. This is the default.

--spin
    Which axes around which the molecule should spin. The default is "XYZ", meaning rotate it freely in space. "--spin Z" would rotate the molecule in the plane of the screen while not rotating it into or out of the screen; etc.

--no-spin
    Don't spin it at all: the same as --spin "".

--labels
    Draw labels on the atoms (or the spot where the atoms would be.) This is the default.

--no-labels
    Do not draw labels on the atoms.

--titles
    Print the name of the molecule and its chemical formula at the top of the screen.

--no-titles
    Do not print the molecule name.

--atoms
    Represent the atoms as shaded spheres of appropriate sizes. This is the default.

--no-atoms
    Do not draw spheres for the atoms: only draw bond lines.

--bonds
    Represent the atomic bonds as solid tubes of appropriate thicknesses. This is the default.

--no-bonds
    Do not draw the bonds: instead, make the spheres for the atoms be larger, for a "space-filling" representation of the molecule.

--shells
    Draw transparent electron shells around the atoms. This only works if bonds are also being drawn.

--no-shells
    Do not draw electron shells. This is the default.

--shell-alpha
    When drawing shells, how transparent to make them. Default 0.4.

--wireframe
    Draw a wireframe rendition of the molecule: this will consist only of single-pixel lines for the bonds, and text labels where the atoms go. This will be very fast.

--timeout seconds
    When using the built-in data set, change to a new molecule every this-many seconds. Default is 20 seconds.

--molecule file-or-directory
    Instead of using the built-in molecules, read one from the given file. This file must be in PDB (Protein Data Base) format. (Note that it's not uncommon for PDB files to contain only the atoms, with no (or little) information about the atomic bonds.) This can also be a directory, in which case, all of the .pdb files in that directory will be loaded. A new one will be displayed at random every few seconds (as per the --timeout option.)

When the molecule is too large (bigger than about 30 angstroms from side to side), the --label option will be automatically turned off, because otherwise, the labels would overlap and completely obscure the display. When the molecule is around 150 angstroms from side to side, wireframe mode will be turned on (because otherwise it would be too slow.)

ENVIRONMENT

DISPLAY
    to get the default host and display number.

XENVIRONMENT
    to get the name of a resource file that overrides the global resources stored in the RESOURCE_MANAGER property.

XSCREENSAVER_WINDOW
    The window ID to use with --root.

SEE ALSO
X(1), xscreensaver(1)

Documentation on the PDB file format:

https://web.archive.org/web/20070108054535/https%3A//www.wwpdb.org/docs.html
https://web.archive.org/web/19990819134547/https%3A//www.rcsb.org/pdb/docs/format/pdbguide2.2/guide2.2_frame.html A good source of PDB files:
https://www.umass.edu/microbio/rasmol/whereget.htm

COPYRIGHT
Copyright © 2001-2005 by Jamie Zawinski. Permission to use, copy, modify, distribute, and sell this software and its documentation for any purpose is hereby granted without fee, provided that the above copyright notice appear in all copies and that both that copyright notice and this permission notice appear in supporting documentation. No representations are made about the suitability of this software for any purpose. It is provided "as is" without express or implied warranty.

AUTHOR
Jamie Zawinski <jwz@jwz.org>